Daejeon Korean restaurant: Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho's spicy pollock

My wife loves braised pollock, so we have gone as far as Sutonggol and Bomunsan to eat it. But Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch (명태랑 류명호 본점), where we visited today, is already a tried-and-true repeat spot for us!

That day, we were planning to visit a café around Gwanjeo-dong and take a walk nearby with the stroller, so we stopped in for lunch on our way out.

Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch information

💡 There is a dedicated parking lot! We found out later and parked nearby insteadㅠ Please check the dedicated lot first when you visit, haha.

💡 They are closed on Thursdays!! Be sure to check before visiting, haha.

Exterior of this Doan-dong Korean restaurant

It has the familiar look of an everyday great Korean restaurant.

Large photos and names of the menu items are posted outside, along with the closed-day notice, so there is no room for confusion, lol.

A spacious interior for strollers and gatherings

The interior has quite a few wood-toned square tables,

and there is also a separate, room-like area on one side. There is plenty of room for family gatherings or company dinners, too.

They have high chairs, and there was ample room to park a stroller!! I also spotted a signed note saying a Daejeon YouTuber I follow had visited, lol. I was oddly happy to see it, and wondered just how much soju they had drunk here, lol.

The menu and seed hotteok nurungji

⚠️ The seed hotteok nurungji is a patented menu item! You can eat it only at the Ryu Myeongho Main Branch. I really, really recommend ordering it!

How were the basic side dishes?

Stir-fried shredded potato, roasted seaweed, and kimchi came as the basic sides. It had been a while since we had eaten stir-fried potato, and the kimchi was so good that my wife said, “Ah, so this is a great Korean restaurant in Doan-dong,” lol.

How to enjoy braised pollock

I love restaurants that tell you how to enjoy the food properly, haha. This place had very detailed instructions too, and it tastes even better when you follow them!

• Put pollock meat on roasted seaweed.
• Add bean sprouts or one Cheongyang chili pepper.
• Wrap it up and eat.

Spicy braised pollock and seed hotteok nurungji

We ordered spicy braised pollock (standard spice) + seed hotteok nurungji!

Standard-spice spicy braised pollock

Its very red appearance made it look spicy and sweet. The bean sprouts were standing by on the side to tame the heat!

💡 The standard spice level is just a little hotter than Shin Ramyun. Prepare yourself, lol.

The pollock was incredibly tender, with no fishiness, and pleasantly spicy, so we really enjoyed it.

Seed hotteok nurungji

This is the real signature item here. Its crisp bottom has all the appeal of nurungji (scorched rice), while the seeds packed inside, like a seed hotteok (Korean sweet pancake), add a nutty flavor—an absolutely perfect match for the spicy braised pollock! Honestly, it is good enough that I wondered whether they could have named the place “Braised Pollock Seed Hotteok Nurungji Ryu Myeongho,” lol.

Our couple's repeat-visit verdict

This is a fantastic Doan-dong Korean restaurant that left both my wife and me so full we immediately felt that post-meal drowsiness. If you are craving braised pollock in Doan-dong, or are curious about the seed hotteok nurungji that the owner developed and patented himself, I wholeheartedly recommend Myeongtaerang Ryu Myeongho Main Branch! 😊